1 68 GAME BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA. 



Tringa ;«a;r/Vz;«a.— Brunn. Purple Sandpiper. 



This is a rather common bird on our Atlantic coast. They 

 confine themselves to the rocky shores and jutting promontories, 

 and are for this reason not frequently secured by sportsmen. 

 The color of the upper parts, ashy black with purplish reflections, 

 line over the eye, and under parts white, breast like the back but 

 lighter in color ; in winter the colors are much duller, being a 

 dark slaty grey. The young are mottled vv^ith dusky below. 



Tringa alpina var. americana. — Cassin. American Dunlin. Black-bellied 

 Sandpiper. Red-backed Sandpiper. Stib. 



A North American species. Color of the adult in summer, 

 above chestnut, each feather with a central black field, and most 

 of them white tipped, under parts white, belly with a broad black 

 area, breast streaked with dusky, adult in winter, pale ashy grey. 



Tringa suiarquata.—'Temm. Curlew Sandpiper. 



An extremely rare bird in this country, but stragglers have 

 been picked up along the Atlantic coast. 



Tringa caniitus.—lAnn. Red-breasted Sandpiper. Ash -colored Sandpiper. Red 

 breast. Grey-back. Robin-snipe. Knot. 



An abundant species found along the shores of Long Island 

 and New Jersey in numbers ; colors above, brownish-black, the 

 feathers tipped with ashy-white, below brownish red, much the 

 same as in the familiar robin ; young, above clear ash with numer- 

 ous black and white semicircles, below tinged with reddish 

 speckled on the breast. In winter plain grey. 



Calidris arenaria. — Illiger. Sanderling. Ruddy Plover. Skinner. 



The hind toe of most other shore birds lacking, the color of the 

 adult in summer is as follows : upper parts varied with black, ashy 

 and bright reddish, below from the breast pure white ; adult in 

 winter without the reddish tinge, the upper parts speckled and 

 marked with white and black, below white. This is an abundant 

 bird along our coasts. The name of Skinner has reference prob- 

 ably, to the fact of the bird's breast bursting open on striking the 



